Pétur Gautur is well known for his timeless still life paintings and a fresh selection of colour in his work. Pétur Gautur is a firm believer in simplicity, often using only a few but carefully selected colours, focusing on the contrast between shadows and light. The still life is a classic motif in art history, but it can always be approached from a new angle, which Pétur Gautur has explored and played with throughout his career. Lately the flower papaver, or poppy, has emerged more often in his art, and the artist is moving away from the classical structure of still life painting. However the familiar form of the bowl from the still life repeats itself in the form of the poppy flowers as they make their way along the canvas in their unbridled beauty.
Pétur Gautur was born in Reykjavík in 1966. He studied art history at the University of Iceland and attended the painting department of the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts. He also has an M.Art Ed. degree in teaching art from the Icelandic University of the Arts.